Saturday, October 6, 2012

Green, Coyer, Harris, Newsome among heroes

Steve Addazio calls the win over USF his biggest in the post-game presser.

The biggest play in the biggest Temple game this century was made by the guy on the cover of the The Temple Gameday Homecoming program.Marcus Green blocked the field goal on the day when he was the only player on the gameday cover.I mean, you can't make that stuff up.

Cody Booth makes "Temple TUFF" TD catch .

A 45-yard field goal certainly is no chip shot, but Green made sure the 26,000 fans did not have to watch the agonizing flight of the ball toward the goal post.After so many twists and turns and heart-stopping plays in Temple's 37-28 win over South Florida, Green probably saved the defibrillators from being used on a few older alumni.There were other heroes, too, some who didn't even play.Kevin Newsome simulated South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels in practice last week and that helped the Owls' defense."Kevin Newsome, he was phenomenal, " head coach Steve Addazio said. "Kevin Newsome's coming into his own, by the way. He can really run explosively and he can really throw. We really appreciated what he's done and where he is right now."The Owls are three-deep at quarterback with Newsome and Juice Granger backing up Coyer.Temple baseball star Connor Reilly is no slouch at No. 4, either.Still, I'd like to see the defense improved by putting Newsome at safety and moving Vaughn Carraway from safety to corner opposite lock-down sophomore Anthony Robey. Carraway's got the speed to play corner and, at 6-3, 215 with a 37-inch vertical and a 4.5 40, Newsome would be a playmaker roaming the middle of the field at safety. If needed at QB, it wouldn't take long to bring him on the other side of the ball.Certainly beats Newsome holding a clipboard and running the scout team for the remaining seven games.Have Reilly simulate the UConn QB next week.Just a thought.The other people who didn't play and helped were the fans.Everybody, from the student section, through the alumni were involved and loud and active.When the fight song "T for Temple U" was sung in the second half, all 26,000 fans were on their feet and belting the song out at the top of their lungs. I never thought I'd see it in my lifetime but I hope to see it again in two weeks. These fans weren't sitting on their hands. I was proud to be one of them. They were indeed the 12th man.The team has to go to UConn and win a game next week but Rutgers thinks they are going to take over Lincoln Financial Field. I think they'll be surprised that the stadium is solidly Temple's now. They remember the "back in the day" Temple. They haven't seen the new Temple.They will.Really, there were about 22 heroes on the field and this space is not large enough to list them all but, at least on offense, you've got to give credit to quarterback Chris Coyer, who was 16 for 20 with no picks and running back Montel Harris, who had 24 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns.Matty Brown left the game after accumulating 134 all-purpose yards and he got the longest standing ovation I can ever remember for a Temple player when he gingerly walked off the field in the fourth quarter.The fans know Brown embodies the definition of Temple TUFF and sent him a message telling him that.Hopefully, he will be OK.The Owls were more than OK.If they play with the competitive fire they showed Saturday, this season could get real interesting going forward.